


For Want of a Kiss

by rowofstars



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post Episode: s05e20 Firebird, True Love's Kiss, the TLK we deserve, very tiny bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 15:47:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6760147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowofstars/pseuds/rowofstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Rumple kissed Belle, but it really was True Love's Kiss?</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Want of a Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> What I wish would have happened in the Rumbelle kiss scene in 5x20 Firebird. Shameless fluff and happy with only the passing hint of angst. Unbeta'd so if you see a mistake please point it out.

Rumplestiltskin had learned a long time ago that his curse was only a curse so long as he saw it that way. Nimue certainly hadn’t. She’d welcomed her newfound power, reveled in it as she tore her enemies asunder. He had welcomed it as well, at first. But losing Baelfire had shown him the truth of it, that it would blacken his heart and send everyone he loved away. It had done so with Belle many times, but somehow they always found their way back together. He knew it was far more her stubbornness than his. The thought that may this time it would be his doing, that he could bring them back together for good, made him smile.

He eased himself down to sit on the edge of the bed, feeling the need to be so careful with her now that he knew she was carrying their child. It was silly, but the newness and uncertainty of it was as thrilling as it was terrifying.

She seemed so still. There was the best hint of movement under the blanket as her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. There was no hint of distress on her face just a strange serenity, an unawareness of the world. That bothered him more than anything. He knew sleeping curses could be volatile things that left behind disturbing and undefined memories. Belle probably didn’t understand the ramifications of what she’d done to herself and what she might have to live with afterwards. He reached out and brushed her hair back from her forehead, letting the back of his fingers skim down the side of her face. He held her under her chin while his thumb passed over her bottom lip.

His impulsive, stubborn, brilliant Belle. Looking at her made his chest ache. Tears welled up in his eyes as he pressed his lips together. He could get her back to Storybrooke, but he knew Moe French wouldn’t be able to wake her up. There was too much strain between them. They might care deeply for each other as parents and children did, but it wasn’t the same unconditional love it once was, not after what Moe had done and tried to do to her. Here and in the Enchanted Forest she’d been treated like a pawn, a favor to be traded for an army. It was possibly why she was so willing to give up herself and leave with him in the first place.

There was no question in Rumplestiltskin’s mind what he had to do. He just wasn’t sure he was brave enough to do it.

He swallowed and leaned down, bracing himself with a hand on either side of her. His lips touched hers, lightly at first as his internal battle with his curse and his love roared to life again. But her soft warmth always drew him in and he shifted a little before he pressed his mouth to hers more firmly. He felt it then, the immediate pull of his power, the churning anger as the darkness fought against the inevitable.

He recoiled internally, wanting to pull away as he felt magic heating the air between them. It was beyond addiction, beyond need, as if tethered to his very soul and threatening to rip it out of him. But he stayed, for her and their child, and parted his lips just enough to close over one of hers, just enough to have a small taste of her. There was the barest hint of light, a warm glow from somewhere in his peripheral vision that he couldn’t focus on. He prayed silently that it was enough, and broke the kiss, almost reluctantly.

Rumplestiltskin sat back and all sensation washed away. It was immediate and abrupt and he closed his eyes for a moment as the room spun. Whatever the glow had been, it was gone, and he could once again only feel the cool eerie air of the Underworld on his skin. He glanced at Belle’s face but there was no change.

Tears welled up in his eyes for a second before he sniffed and looked away. It hadn’t been long enough. He had failed her once again. He couldn't let it go, didn't _want_ to let it go, not even for his wife and unborn child. Just as he hadn't for Bae.

Then a soft noise startled him, like a deep inhalation of air and a sigh. He shifted on the cot and turned, looking down in astonishment as Belle’s eyes fluttered and then opened.

She took another deep breath, her eyes finally able to focus on his face, and smiled. “Hey.”

He smiled too and laid his hand over hers. “Hey.”

She blinked again and then looked around, frowning at first before her lips parted and her eyes went wide. “It worked,” she said, a bit breathless. Then she smiled again. “True Love’s Kiss.”

He nodded. He couldn’t believe it had worked but here she was, awake and looking at him with such adoration he felt his heart might burst.

Belle shifted and he let go of her hand to help her sit up on the narrow cot. She rolled her shoulders and looked down at herself, seeming to take stock of the situation and confirm that somehow everything was in order.

“So?” she started, looking up at him. “You, um, you did it? You gave up your power - f-for me?”

Rumplestiltskin frowned before he could nod again. It took the barest hint of a thought to realize that his power was still very much present. He could still feel it clearly and strongly. He knew it would take no more than a wiggle of a finger to teleport them outside. He could conjure tea in the space between heartbeats.

Belle’s gasp beside him told him that he had indeed done just that. On the table beside the cot sat a silver tea service and a plate of the little shortbread cookies she liked.

“Rumple,” she said softly, reaching out to touch the handle of the teapot as if she couldn’t believe it was real. He was reminded of the first time he’d done such a thing, when they were in the Dark Castle and every little bit of magic was surprising and wondrous to her.

“You - still have magic?” she asked, frowning at him.

He shrugged. It was the only thing he could do as he understood the situation just about as well as she did. If he had really given her True Love’s Kiss and broken the sleeping curse, then why did he still have his power? Why did it feel even more than before?

“Apparently?” he replied feebly. He was fearful she might not believe him, that he’d come up with some other spell that could counter Zelena’s curse and then lied to her about it.

Belle stretched her hand out carefully and touched his fingers, then pulled them into her hand and gave him a squeeze. “Then how -?”

He looked from their joined hands to her face and shrugged again. “I have no idea.”

A slow smile spread across her face, and then a moment later his as well, until they were laughing.

Rumplestiltskin held up his free hand and a small swirling ball of fire appeared. It hovered over his palm as it always had before, growing and shrinking at his will. He glanced to Belle to find her wide eyed and staring at the flame. She gasped again and he looked back to his hand to see the flame was almost pure white. It was bright and sparkling, spinning in his hand.

“Rumple,” she breathed.

His eyes met hers again, both of them wide with shock.

“Is that -?” she asked, nodding towards the magic still held in his grasp.

He looked from her to the ball and back again. “Light magic.”

Belle grinned. “Do you think that might, um, help us with the Hades thing?”

The look she gave him was sly, and he couldn’t help running his tongue over his bottom lip and smiling back at her. His look was just a bit more devious though. It was different. Definitely different. But good - no, _great_. Two kinds of magic inside him, not fighting, not tearing him apart, just - existing. He hadn’t felt so powerful since the night he destroyed two armies and ended a war. The how and why and what fors could be sorted later.

Rumplestiltskin stood and held out his hand to his wife. “What do you say we find out?”


End file.
